Federal fast-tracking northern Sask. mine draws mixed reactions

With a Saskatchewan copper mine listed as one of five in Canada approved for federal fast-tracking, secondary mining operations could also benefit.

That’s according to Eric Anderson, the executive director of the Saskatchewan Industrial and Mining Suppliers Association (SIMSA).

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Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that the Foran McIlvenna Bay copper and zinc mine would be getting a push to get through some regulatory hurdles.

The project is already underway, and Anderson said SIMSA would need more details to make proper sense of what the announcement means, but it seemed to be good news on its face.

“It looks like they’re going to accelerate that project, which is always good for our members in the long run, because our members build all these things,” Anderson said, referring to the digging, welding, planning and engineering work that SIMSA members do.

“As they make these things, announce them or move them along, that just generates more money for our members.”

Anderson said SIMSA is usually involved from the design phase all the way to installation and also supplies materials like concrete and steel.

When asked about potential risks for the project, Anderson did say that it’s possible for SIMSA to run out of workers.

“We already have the lowest unemployment rate amongst the provinces in the country … with that, we need people,” Anderson said.

“That means that we’re going to need to maybe get more automation work, maybe more robotic work, more use of AI to help do the planning and building to supplement and maximize the people that we have.”

The project is located roughly 67 kilometres southwest of the town of Creighton.

Business analyst expresses skepticism

While some are happy to see a Saskatchewan project on the list, others, like business commentator Paul Martin, said he’s baffled by the move.

Martin said that only a few weeks ago, the Foran Mining company put out a report stating that the mine’s construction was already 50 per cent complete.

“So basically, they’re halfway through building the mine, and now the federal government comes out and approves the fast-tracking of it? I don’t know how you fast-track something that’s half done already,” he said.

“It’s mysterious to me, I don’t know what they’re doing or if this is just political posturing to be shown to be doing something.”

He said what the government could have done was focus on many of the province’s uranium mines.

“You got a couple of uranium mines in Saskatchewan where the proponents were told, ‘you’ve passed all the approval processes for environmental review and all that, we’ll give you the final hearing, but it’ll be a year from now,’” he said.

“If the federal government really wanted to accelerate something, they would look at the uranium side rather than the so-called fast tracking of a mine project that’s halfway done.”

– With files from 980 CJME’s Roman Hayter